Gators Pose `Big' Problem

March 24, 2006|Dave Curtis

With 726 career wins and an addiction to watching the sport he coaches, few in college basketball analyze other teams better than Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. His team faced Florida and Georgetown this season, losing to the Gators in November's 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Challenge and splitting two late-season games against the Hoyas. Here's his take on tonight's Minneapolis Region semifinal between the teams:

"When we played Florida early in the season, I thought they would be one of the better teams in the country. We played one of our best games and still got beat. They have multiple big men they can take in and out of the game and guards who can shoot it, and those are the things you look for in teams that can win championships.

"[Joakim] Noah played very well against us, and he's obviously improved a lot as the season has gone on. But they have other guys. [Al] Horford is very good, and [Taurean] Green is a good player for them.

"Georgetown has those veterans, and they're an excellent passing team. They don't make a lot of mistakes. [Forward Jeff] Green is a great player for them, and [center Roy] Hibbert is someone you have to deal with inside. He's not quick, but he's big. If you get him into foul trouble, Georgetown has to go small, but they don't have a lot of big guys on the bench.

"It's two good teams, and it's going to be a great game. If I had to go out on a limb, I would give Florida a slight edge because they have so many big guys they can throw at you."